The Five Levels of Restoration
By: Dr. Gary M. Gray

As a stained glass consultant for some 20 years, I have become conscious of how unaware property committees are about their congregation’s leaded stained glass. I’m not referring here to the stained glass itself. Indeed, if the church has special windows, all the people have a tremendous pride in them, and congregants’ carry knowledge about them to talk informatively to visitors.

Most people do not know the leaded stained glass is in trouble just from the long-term deterioration that comes with simple aging. However, when they do see a window beginning to bulge, some property committee members will talk about it for years and ultimately do nothing. Others panic and want to have all the windows releaded immediately. Both approaches are wrong.

Dealing with stained glass systematically is critical, because stained glass does have needs--when and how those windows are addressed determines their long-term health, plus the potentially hefty costs to repair/restore problems. 

My experience indicates stained glass has five different levels—degrees—of restoration needs. When the property committee becomes aware of its stained glass condition, it is wise to know what is required to solve the problems.

Restoration Level #1: The Oil Change
All leaded stained glass is essentially made the same way and with only three basic items:  the cut stained glass, the lead came (which has channels for the glass to fit), and cement to hold the glass and the came together. 

Of the three, the glass will last the longest, if it is not broken. The lead came, it seems, can easily last for 150 years if it has been fortunate to have had protective covering during the bulk of those years. But the poor, poor cement often has a relatively short life and needs to be replenished every 15 to 30 years (again depending on whether the windows have protective covering). 

Thus, the wise congregation will build in a process to have its windows recemented every 15 years (if unprotected) and each 25 to 30 years (if protected.)

The process of recementing is simple. A liquid cementing compound is applied to the exterior of the leaded stained glass and then rubbed in manually so the new cement is intermingled with the old cement. Once the new/old cement dries, the window is nearly back to new—strong and clean and ready to let God’s light tell God’s story. 
Here’s an odd analogy, but it’s true. Recementing is like the oil change for an automobile. Give it an oil change every 3,000 miles, and the engine will probably give you 300,000 miles before a major overall is required. Likewise, give leaded stained glass a recementing (and protect it) on a regular basis, and the church will not worry about releading for at least 150 years.  
 
Restoration Level #2: Simple Jigsaw Puzzle Repairs
The creators of most art objects are normally immensely proud of their “masterpieces.”  Not surprisingly, the stained glass field is filled with outstanding artisans who take great joy in their window telling a beautiful story through glass. Often, despite their knowledge that stained glass panels need to be braced, steel braces are limited because their resulting lines and shadows detract from the message and aesthetics of the art.

A stained glass panel is extremely heavy, and since it is, in essence, a vertical jig-saw puzzle, it will start to sag over the years, unless it is properly braced. 

Other early problems develop. Often, pieces of stained glass are broken (there’s that need to keep the windows protected again!), or possibly the caulking begins to fail.  

This calls for simple general repair. Horizontal steel braces can be added while the stained glass panel is still in place. Caulking can be replaced and the window frames repainted, along with that stained glass oil change, recementing. Broken pieces of glass can be individually installed in place. 

If some of the windows have begun to sag just a bit, they, too, can be adjusted while in place, then—in that very area—a steel brace needs to be installed, or that sag will come back in a few years and develop into a bulge in 25 years. Artisans will even add new braces to areas that are “vulnerable to bulging,” important long-term preventive maintenance.

Restoration Level # 3: On-Site Bulge Repair
Regrettably, the stained glass consultant is often not called to evaluate problems until this level. If matters have been left dormant to this stage, the congregation will never quite get their windows back to “normal.” The broken pieces of glass will not be matched 100 percent, and the lead will forever shown faint by definite signs of decay. 

A quick survey by a trained eye will find small-to-large bulges in a number of the stained glass panels. If caught soon enough, an on-site master artisan can correct the bulges in-place and add the necessary braces. The wise property committee will use the opportunity to recement, repaint and recaulk. 

Restoration Level #4:  Restoration
If the church waits to bring in the consultant this long, they will be in for some significant bad news, both about their windows and the exorbitant costs it will take to save them. 

In this situation, the windows are usually found with serious, possibly critical bulges in which the windows sag as much as 3 to 4 inches from their original form, braces have been loosened and are not longer attached to the panel, and some of the stained glass has been broken from the pressure and even come partially or totally out of their lead came channel. 

When the windows have reached this level, only two remedies are left. First, the building and grounds committee can start over and have the windows releaded. Since leaded stained glass with proper preventive maintenance (the stained glass oil changes, etc.) should last at least 150 years between releadings, to do so in some 50 to 85 years, as often happens, is a stewardship travesty. 

If the stained glass still has strong lead, as it often does even while bulging, the window can be “restored.” This restoration can take place either at the church (on a special work table set up by a on-site restoration crew) or removed to the stained glass studio for complete attention.  

In both cases, a stained glass panel will quickly lose its bulge when laid flat, especially after some chemicals or heat is applied. When a panel is “restored,” it receives a careful cementing process on both sides of the panel and is rebraced. When reinstalled, it’s not quite as good as new, but it’s close. 

Restoration Level #5:  Relead
If your churches windows are 150 years old, as many on America’s East Coast are, if the windows have not been protected over the years, or if they have been neglected to such a degree that the lead is splitting, glass is pulling out of the cames, and broken pieces abound, then releading is probably the best course. This process is done at the stained glass studio. 

Releading is simple. The stained glass jig saw puzzle is disassembled and then reassembled with new lead and cement. In the process, broken or mismatched glass is replaced and new braces are attached (often at the wrong places). 

This must be made clear—Restoration Level #5: Releading is a superior process to any of the other restoration degrees. There are many situations when it is the only course for the property committee to consider.   

Many studios do not have the expertise to do on-site work—they are normally creating new stained glass, so when repair work is required, the panels are approached the same way: the window is disassembled, and then they lead the various pieces until the panel is “new” again. They have repaired the window by starting over. 

As a stained glass consultant who has been in more than 2,000 churches observing incredibly beautiful stained glass, I offer these three suggestions. 

One, recement and do small general repairs to your leaded stained glass every 25 years.
 
Two, protect those windows from day one with a polycarbonate, an acrylic sheet, or quarter-inch glass (the most common is float or safety glass).

Finally, three, plan to relead your stained glass heritage every 150 years.  

If your church windows have not been planned and cared for in this manner, then work with your stained glass company to conduct the restoration at the same level as its problems merit. 

If you do, God’s light will continue to shine through to worshipers for generations to come. 

Dr. Gary M. Gray is president of the American Consultation of Stained Glass.  As a stained glass consultant, Dr. Gray has inspected and appraised stained glass in some 2,000 churches and synagogues. 

Sidebar
Congregation Fundraising Through Beautification
By Eric Ascalon

Aesthetics has always played a key role in helping to transform an earthly space into a spiritual place. Today, the stained glass windows, decorative furnishings and artwork of the contemporary church are a reflection of our aesthetic roots.

“Build it and they shall come” is the oft-repeated slogan of church leadership when asked to justify the expenses involved in the proposed construction of a new building or the expansion of an existing facility. Sadly, when a congregation does endeavor to undertake a major capital project, the artistic aspects of the worship space are often put at the bottom of the list of priorities.

Congregations can and should strive to do better, and among the many tasks of leadership is to see to it that they do. How, though, does one accomplish the physical transformation of an ordinary space into the spiritual given the reality of limited funds?

Art Is Affordable
It may come as a surprise that you do not have to break the bank to create a highly aesthetic church or transform an existing facility into a highly artistic space. To the contrary, aesthetic transformation--with some proper planning and implementation--can actually be a powerful means of acquiring significant donations. When you start to view church beautification projects as investments towards generating significant fundraising revenue for other projects, it becomes clear that most beautification projects are not only financially “doable” but in fact financially desirable.

Experience demonstrates that there is no better motivation for major donors than to tie their donation to the creation and permanent installation of a site-specific art element in the church. A site-specific art element is one that is specially commissioned for and permanently incorporated into the facility, such as stained glass windows, carved glass windows, a mosaic mural, wall-mounted or free-standing sculpture (interior or exterior), just to name a few. The permanence and truly unique nature of the site-specific art element contributes to its desirability to the potential patron. When one can see a tangible result of his or her generosity, it can make giving feel all the more meaningful to the donor. There is perhaps little that is more tangible than a unique artwork that will forever become a part of the church's artistic legacy.

When used for fundraising purposes, the donation amount required to dedicate a particular art element is typically from two to 10 times the amount the art element actually costs the congregation. This is a business decision; the congregation would select the fundraising markup multiplier based on factors such as its own needs and projections, and the economic makeup of the congregation. The fundraising markup amount translates directly into funds that could be used for other needs of the congregation (not necessarily related to beautification). These funds could be dedicated to anything from facility improvements, building expansion and equipment acquisitions, to educational initiatives and special programming.

In an existing facility, each clear window, blank wall, empty courtyard and vacant lobby represents a potential location for a stained glass window, a mosaic mural, a freestanding or relief sculpture, or other site-specific artwork or design item. Therefore, in a very real sense, each unadorned space represents a possible funding source.

In the case of new church construction, there is an additional advantage. The art studio could be involved early on to consult with the architect, thus ensuring that the design of the building will include suitable locations for revenue-generating site-specific works.  The actual designs for the art elements can then be undertaken in conjunction with the design or master plan of the building. Fundraising for the revenue-generating site-specific works could then begin even before ground is broken.    

Eric Ascalon is the owner of Ascalon Studios, www.ascalonart.com.

Product Roundup

Creative Glassworks
Creative Glassworks, established in 1993, is an accredited studio through the Stained Glass Association of America. Services include:

• Creating new windows for sanctuaries
• Restoration/ repair services
• Stabilization of windows
• Consultation and documentation services

The company, which primarily works with churches in the Southeast, has twice been awarded Preservation Excellence awards from the State of Florida.
www.creativeglassworks.com

O’Brien Stained Glass
O'Brien Stained Glass, established 1979, is one of a few centers devoted to total restoration of stained glass windows. Current owners represent the second generation in the stained glass window trade. O’Brien offers:

• Highly trained, expert staff
• Adequate inventory and tools to handle demanding restoration projects
• Partnership with other shops and artists that might benefit customers

The studio serves churches from Michigan to Colorado.
www.obrienstainedglass.com

Stained Glass by Conrad Schmitt Studios, Inc.
Original stained glass designs are a means for visually expressing the most important ideals of a worship community through art. At Conrad Schmitt Studios, the iconography, design and color that bring the window to life follow from a planning process involving members of the church as well as artists, researchers, glaziers and a project manager from the studio. In designing windows, CSS considers:

• The best style to complement the existing architecture, whether traditional or contemporary
• A custom color palette to complement the church interior and to permit the desired levels of daylight through the windows
• The right symbolism to express the church’s ideals

 Each finished window is a one-of-a-kind, hand-crafted work of art.
www.conradschmitt.com

Bovard Studio
Bovard Studio has many artists and craftspeople on staff, working on stained glass projects for churches across the country. The company:

• Designs, fabricates and installs traditional and contemporary stained glass windows
• Provides full restoration services, including new wood, aluminum and steel frames
• Offers protective covering systems, with the Precision Flow ventilation
• Designs, fabricates and installs custom wood doors, custom wood light boxes for stained glass and custom chancel furniture with stained glass or mosaic inserts

Bovard’s facility includes a complete woodshop and welding shop.
www.bovardstudio.com

Krinklglas
Krinklglas is the answer for the look of traditional stained glass windows without the expense.

• You can hang Krinklglas panels in front of your existing windows.
• Or, you can screw Krinklglas directly to the inside window frame.
• Krinklglas is available in single panels up to 5 feet x 10 feet.

Since 1956, Krinklglas has proudly served the world’s churches with an economical and durable alternative to stained glass.
www.krinklglas.com

Willet Hauser
Willet Hauser Architectural Glass can provide you with the most radiant designs imaginable. You can select from the following very diverse and distinctive windows:

• Leaded
• Faceted
• Hand-Painted
• Sculptured Gold

Willet Hauser's impeccable standard for unsurpassed quality, artistry and craftsmanship is blended into every project they produce.
www.willethauser.com